Emma interviewed Edgar and Tyla from Midnight Gallery. Here are their responses:
Midnight Gallery, where did the name come from?
Edgar: We bounced around a bunch of names Midnight Gallery came up and we all liked it.
How would you describe your sound?
Edgar: Our own take on Hip Hop...
Tyla: ...with a strong emphasis on lyricism, combining both sung and rapped vocals. The music is composed from scratch, rather than sampling.
How did you all get together?
Edgar: Tyla and I played a few support gigs for Adams other band Tahuna Breaks, we always talked about doing something together.
Tyla: Last year we finally got round to jamming some tracks, and we liked what we were doing, so we decided to make something of it.
Who has helped you out so far, how did you get signed to your label?
Tyla: We have all been a part of other music groups so have had the pleasure to have worked with some outstanding musicians and individuals. It is these experiences that have helped us to get to where we are now in both the creative and the admin sense.
What's the best thing about being a band?
Edgar: Jamming and sharing ideas.
Who writes the raps?
Edgar: I write the raps.
What kinds of messages do you like your lyrics to have?
Edgar: Hopefully they tell a story people can relate to.
Who would you say are your role models in music?
Edgar: That list for all three of us would be very long lyrically I personally look up to Bob Dylan.
What messages do you have for up and coming artists?
Edgar: Be yourself.
Tyla: Listen to as many records and go to as many gigs as possible.
What is the plan for the next 12 months? World domination?
Edgar: Hahaha Release this album and play some shows.
Tyla: We are looking to offshore for some gigs next year.
Have you got any collaborations set up?
Edgar: We have a couple on the album Marika Hodgson, Abraham Kunin and Raiza Biza all feature on tracks.
Who would you like to work with most, artists/producers?
Edgar: P-Money.
If there was a gig or festival you would like to headline??
Edgar: Hahah ‘Rock the Bells’ or Roots Picnic.
What kinds of places would be on your tour schedule? Thames maybe?
Edgar: Hopefully we would love to play Thames. Other then that its looking like the tour will be Welly, Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin…
I would know we have made it big when...
Edgar: Our song gets used on Nightline during the weather.
What should we expect or be looking out for in the coming weeks?
Edgar: An art exhibition and our debut album.
Midnight Gallery is Adam Fuhr, Edgar Mahon and Tyla Pere.
Offering accomplished synergy between rap and singing, lyrics paint the pictures of real life, sketching experiences on a variety of musical canvases.
Midnight Gallery’s original approach to composition sees a balance between live instrumentation and digital programming.